Through the Glass
by Anomaly9
Summary: Gemma Harp isn't thrilled when she receives an ancient computer and an odd looking game called My Candy Love for her sixteenth birthday. She becomes enamoured with Castiel and soon realizes that the games fictional characters are not so fictional. But Gemma's relationship with Castiel doesn't escape Amber's notice. Amber isn't about to let Gemma get int the way of her and Castiel.
1. Chapter 1

I bite my nails to shreds as my cursor hovers over the selection of answers on the screen.

**A. Nothing much, what about you?**

**B. I'm trying to avoid three stupid girls**

**C. I'm avoiding this guy, he's a real drag...**

I read them over and over, but I can't decide which one will work in my favour. My avatar stares blankly back at me while Castiel's image stands there, arms crossed, looking bored and aloof. Another agonizing minute passes before I click C. The meeter drops five points. _No! Just when it was getting close. _I sigh. Clearly, I'm taking this too seriously.

I got the game and the computer as sweet sixteen gifts from my aunt Elizabeth three weeks ago. The computer was a disappointment at first, especially since my aunt knew how much I coveted the new Mac book Air. I could almost see its pristine, sleek edges as it sat on my desk, waiting to be used. But no, when I unwrapped the paper and opened the box, I was faced with an old clunky Windows 95, slightly yellowed with age. I groaned inwardly, but still managed to keep my smile in tacked.

I opened its companion gift, and my cheeks reddened with embarrassment. It was a CD ROM titled MY Candy Love that looked like it might have been enjoyable when I was 8. Its bubble gum pink cover and sparkly eyed characters made me want to tuck it away in a drawer where I would never have to look at it, but for courtesy's sake, I smiled broadly and thanked aunt Elizabeth, pretending it was a totally acceptable gift for a sixteen year old.

It wasn't until later that night that curiosity got the better of me. I pulled the game out from under a pile of papers in my top drawer. _A dating game for girls! _Read the blurb on the back. Hmm. I popped the CD in the computer and started the game. The_ Start _screen prompted me for a username, but I couldn't think of anything creative that didn't sound completely ridiculous, so I'd settled on my own name, Gemma Harp, with some under scores thrown in.

I created a character that resembled me, with long, dark brown hair, green eyes and the palest complexion the _Flesh Tone_ options had to offer. I sped through the introduction and into the first level of the game. The object was to complete tasks for Sweet Amoris High school, all while trying to win the affection of your favourite boy. The game was as juvenile as I expected…but in an odd way, kind of fun. My character started off by running around doing errands for the stuck-up looking student council president, Nathaniel, who was not at all my type. The nerdy stalker kid named Ken wasn't really doing it for me either. It wasn't until I ran into a certain red headed troublemaker that I really started to obsess.

When he first showed up in the court yard, I was surprised. With his dyed red hair and all-black attire, his appearance was completely at odds with the atmosphere of the game. He called himself Castiel and proceeded to flaunt his snarky, sarcastic attitude. Ok, so maybe he wasn't the nicest character, but he had me intrigued. After several minutes of his sarcasm and surprisingly cute half smile, I decided he was probably the only character worth pursuing. Once I found out he was into music, I was sold.

Over the next week, I progressed through the levels and more characters appeared, but Castiel was still the only one to really hold my attention. My affinity for him soon turned into late nights and hours after school getting him to like my character. The whole thing sometimes made me feel like I was going crazy. I told myself that it was just like crushing on characters in a book. You were supposed to have a connection with them, right? But the truth was, I really liked Castiel. More than I wanted to admit.

"You'd better get a move on, Gemma!" My mom yells from downstairs. Quickly, I log out of the game, eject the CD from my ancient computer and slide it back in its pink, heart-splattered case. I grab my bag from the bed, sling it over my shoulder and dart down the stairs.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad! Love you!" I shout as I slam the front door behind me. I hop on Wanda, which I've affectionately named my partially rusted, baby-blue bike, and I'm off. I peddle quickly down the street, the wind whipping my hair behind me. I love my bike. Aside from my guitar, it's one of the only things in the world that makes me feel free.

I pull into the front entrance of White Oaks High to see Scarlett and Ben huddled beneath the large oak tree next to the school; our usual meeting place. I chain my bike to the rack and sprint over to meet them.

"You're later than usual." Scarlett says as she draws idle swirls on her artfully ripped, marker covered jeans . Even sitting under an oak tree, she stands out in her chunky beaded bracelets and thrift store wear that she somehow manages to make stylish.

"Interesting…" Ben mumbles, examining a caterpillar crawling across his fingers. He's the nerdiest kid I've ever met, especially when it comes to computers. He could probably construct a fully functioning laptop out of twigs if he had to. He looks up at me and grins, showing off his perfectly white teeth, complete with a set of shiny, silver braces. "Gemma." He says by way of greeting.

"Hey guys." I smile apologetically. I'm about to sit down between them when I hear the buzzing of the warning bell.

"Guess we'd better get going." Scarlett says. Her weary tone sounds about as enthusiastic as I feel about World History, the only class all three of us share. Ben shakes the caterpillar off his fingers and Scarlett throws the black marker into her bag. We bump and weave our way through the throng of students until we reach the classroom were we seat ourselves discreetly in a row at the back. I watch the students file in and my heart sinks with dread at how long this day is going to be.

I half-listen to Mr. Burton's lecture, scribbling a few incoherent notes before my concentration slips away completely. My eyes wander over to the desk beside me, where Scarlett scribbles away at her latest notebook masterpiece featuring an explosion of daisies in multicoloured gel pens. Ben is diligently taking noes next to her, his concentration never faltering. I start doodling stars in the margins of my notebook when a slip of paper finds its way to my desk. I unfold it to read Scarlett's message.

_**Wanna join me and Ben at my place after school?**_

Immediately, my thoughts return to that stupid computer game. If I go to Scarlett's house…_no Castiel for, what,a whole four hours? _Some small corner of my mind taunts me. I shake my head. No, that's stupid. I'll go. My pen hovers hesitantly over the paper before I scribble my response.

_**Sure, see you there. **_

When I slide the note back to her desk, I almost regret it. But then, I remind myself that I have been spending far too much time in front of the old clunker these days, pining after someone who doesn't exist. I can't neglect my two best (okay, only) friends forever.

The rest of the day passes in a boring, convoluted blur of Gym, Math, Art and, my saving grace, Choir. I don't have much of a voice, but I've been told that I can at least carry a tune.

We sing church _Blue Moon_ for the hundredth time as our choir teacher, Mrs. Stanley conducts emphatically. I strain to hit some of the high notes, letting the other singers drown me out for the most part. When we finish, Mrs. stanley steps down from her podium and congratulates us.

"Job well done everybody! I'll see you all in rehearsal tomorrow!"

I quickly shove my repertoire binder on the shelf with everyone else's before I grab my things and head to the front of the school to meet Scarlett and Ben. When I get there, I'm greeted with smiles from both of them. The three of us link arms and we're on our way.

Scarlett's house isn't exactly ghetto, but it's no mansion either. It's red roof looks like it could use some shingle replacements and the cracks in her front porch have always sketched me out, but its still one of our favourite places to hang out. Scarlett opens the front door with a creek and tosses her bag down in the front hallway. Ben and I hang ours on the rack next to the door.

"Mom, I'm home! And I brought Ben and Gem with me!" Scarlett calls into her nearly empty house. There's no answer. "Figures." She mutters. Scarlett's mom isn't the most attentive parent in the world.

Ben starts digging around Scarlett's kitchen, looking for something. "Hey Scar, do you have any more of those gummy worms? They're my favourite!"

"Top cupboard, right next to the stove." Scarlett says, flicking on the T.V in the room adjoining the kitchen. Ben comes out from the kitchen and plops a bag of gummy worms onto the coffee table. Scarlett flips channels for a while before settling on some cheesy teen movie featuring wear wolves.

"This is the dumbest, most unrealistic movie I have ever seen." Ben says, tugging at a gummy worm between his teeth.

"Ha! Thats why I love to laugh at them!" Scarlett says. She glances over to me. "You've been awful quiet and broody lately, Gemma. Something up?" She asks.

"No." I say. I wouldn't want either of them to know my shameful secret. Scarlett especially would never let me live down the fact that I'm in love with a children's game. "Nothing's up."

"Whatever you say." She says and turns back to the T.V.

I sit on the floor for the next few hours, starring blankly at the screen while Scarlett and Ben debate the possibility of wear wolves actually existing and spreading their virus throughout the human race. When I glance at the clock, I notice that it's nearly 9:00. I texted my Mom earlier, but she'd be expecting me home by now.

"Guys, it's late." I say. "I should get going." and slurp up one last gummy worm and rub my legs, which have fallen asleep from sitting on the floor for so long.

"See ya, Gem!" Scarlett and Ben call out in unison as I walk toward the door, then return to their argument.

I rush outside and practically sprint through the warm, dusky evening air. When I get home, I hang my bag in the hallway, give my parents a quick hello and before I know it, I'm popping My Candy Love out of its case and into the Old Clunker. I start up the game where I left off, at the mission where I had to find the Basket Ball club I'd joined. I play for hours until I reach another one of those stupid dialogs with Castiel where I can never think of which option to click. I'm slumped in my chair, staring hopelessly at the screen when I notice my computer clock reads 11:50 pm. I sigh and shut my eyes against the glaring screen for a moment. It's far too easy to let the time slip away playing this thing. I smile to myself._ Especially with you, Cas. _

Open my eyes and allow myself to stare at his image a while. My cursor is drifting toward _the log_ out button when I see it- I could swear Castiel's eyes flick toward me. I feel like I've had a mini heart attack as I blink rapidly at the screen, but when I stop, it's exactly as it was, a non-animated image, completely incapable of movement. _Too many late nights, Gemma. _

I shut off the computer and crawl into bed, where I dream of nothing but smokey grey eyes beneath a moonlit sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Castiel's POV

I can't remember when I first realized that life as I knew it wasn't real. I'd seen hundreds of faces staring back at me while I stood frozen in my place. Most of them belonged to young girls, I would guess, no older than 7, with small pudgy, snot covered faces. Their huge eyes would stare blankly at me before a distant voice called to them from somewhere far away and suddenly, I'd be freed from my static position and catapulted back into the land of Sweet Amoris, where I'm free to do what I want, when I want.

Then one day, a new face appeared. It didn't look like a child's face. She looked as though she could be the same age as any girl around here, like Iris or Violet. As she played, I noted the change in her expressions, the worry lines in her forehead when she got an answer wrong and the way she chewed her nails when she was making a decision.

I scratch her image into the pavement with the sharpest rock I can find, trying to capture her wide, green eyes, the contours of her full lips, her high cheekbones…until a basketball bounces by and nocks the rock from my hand. My head snaps up to see Nathaniel jogging toward me. He's traded his starched white shirt and tie for a red basketball jersey and a pair of Nikes. His face is flushed from exertion and he wipes an arm across his sweaty brow. Gross.

"Cas!" He shouts, out of breath. "Pass the ball, would you?" I set my rock down and toss him the ball.

"Here you go." I say flatly. "Have fun."

"Thanks man. You wanna join the game? Dajans beating us really bad and we could use-Hey, what's that you're drawing?" He asks, pointing to my unfinished sketch.

"It's…no one." I say, trying to subtly cover the drawing with my hand.

"Oh hey, I know her! It's that knew girl who started playing our game! She's kinda pretty." For some reason, I feel almost offended at his choice of words. "Kinda pretty" doesn't begin to cover it as far as I'm concerned.

"Hey Nat, you bringing the ball or what?" I hear Ken shout from the court.

"Coming!" Nathaniel calls back to him. He glance back down at me. "Sure you don't wanna join?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say. "I'm sure. Really."

"Suit yourself." He says and runs off back to his basketball buddies.

I look back down at my drawing, giving it a final cursory glance. That's when I start to notice all my mistakes: the nose is too wide, lips just a little too thin, something off about the shape of her face…I scratch the rock into the pavement, erasing the drawing.

I toss the rock into the grass and wander down the street. There aren't many places to go in Sweet Amoris, except some small locations like the school, the Clothes Shop and the Dollar Store to name a few.

I keep walking through the streets, bored out of my mind, passing some of the other characters on my way. Violet and Rosalya chat animatedly at the cafe. Charlotte and Amber sit at a table next to them, talking quietly amongst themselves. Suddenly, Amber's eyes meet mine. She calls me over in her shrill voice.

"Hey Caaaas" Why don't you come over here and join Charlotte and I!"

She's practically jumping out of her seat. Judging by how low cut her top is, she's trying to do more than wave her arms in the air to get my attention.

A flashback in the story says that Amber had a crush on me since kindergarten for fixing some doll of hers. I don't remember this of course, because it's only a flashback, not part of the main story and frankly, I don't want to. Most of our personalities are different from the ones we portray for the Players. For example, the happy go luck Violet I know is a far cry from the shy artist type she plays in the game. But apparently, some of our lives don't deviate much from the story.

"Um…I can't. Thanks, though." I call back to her, politely as possible. I keep walking until I hit the end of the road, where the beach starts. The waves lap against the shore, calm and soothing. I sit down in the sand, pick up one of many sticks laying around me and draw lines in the sand. Suddenly a noise catches my attention.

_Woof!_

Demon is running towards me at warp speed, his ears flopping around, his tongue getting slobber everywhere. He pounces onto my lap and starts licking my face like I'm a rare delicacy. I ruffle his fur affectionately.

"down boy." I say. "You're getting your slobber all over me." I say with a smile. Demon crawls off my lap and settles down next to me. I continue drawing pointless lines when Demon notices the stick I'm holding. He jumps up and yanks it from my hand with his teeth. He stands in front of me, stick in his mouth, tail wagging wildly.

"You're right. A game of fetch would be fun right about now." I push up into a standing position and grab the stick from Demon's mouth.

"Ready?" I say, holding up the stick. Demon barks in response. He's jumping with anticipation. I stretch my arm back and fling the stick as far as I can. It goes flying across the beach as Demon bolts after it. He leaps up, catches the stick between his teeth and comes running back to me.

I scratch between his ears. "Good boy." I throw the stick again and watch him run down the beach.

Demon belongs to me in the story, but even when I'm not in character I still think of him as my dog. Besides, he always liked me more than anyone else. Aside from Lysander, he's my best friend. I could spend my entire day with him and never get bored.

Demon dashes toward me and I pluck the stick from his mouth. I'm about to throw it again when I feel the familiar tug pulling me upward. I know what this means. Someone's playing the game and it's my turn to act out my scene.

"We'll have to finish this later, boy." I say to Demon apologetically. He whines and curls up in the sand.

The sky opens up above me, rays of while lights seeping through the cracks. The pull is stronger now, yanking my feet off the ground. The sky gives way to the bright light and It crashes down around me. The beach disappears. I always hate this part, it makes me dizzy. I'm off the ground completely, sucked through the whirling vortex of blinding white light. Before I know it, I'm in the school hallway, frozen in place again.


	3. Chapter 3

Gemma's POV

" Don't be staying up too late now, Gem." Dad says as he stands in the hall, waiting for Mom. They're getting ready for one of their Friday date nights of dinner and dancing, leaving me alone with nothing but my favourite game in the world to keep me company.

"I won't. Promise." I say as I scrape some of mom's left over, less than stellar vegetarian meat loaf onto my plate. She's been going through some odd vegetarian phase for the past month or so. Not that there's anything wrong with that, although she can't seem to cook vegetarian dishes very well. They all end up tasting like mush and paste.

"Marian! We're going to be late!" Dad calls down the hall.

"Hold on, Richard, I'm nearly ready." Mom replies. She emerges a few moments later in a small black strapless dress, her hair in an elegant chignon.

"Lovely." Dad says and pecks her on the cheek. They head for the door. Mom turns back to me for a moment.

"We'll see you in the morning, sweetie. Remember, you can always call us if you need anything, but I'm sure you'll be able to fend for yourself" I smile reassuringly at her.

"I'll be fine. You guys go have fun."

"Well alright. Goodnight, Gemma!"

"'Night!" I call after them as the door slams shut. I hear the car engine roaring to life in the driveway and they're off.

I sit at the kitchen table, wincing as I force down the last of my mom's meat loaf. It tastes like an odd mix of leaves and boiled grass, but somehow I manage to finish it off.

I rinse my plate in the sink, place some surane warp over the meat loaf and shove it in the back of the fridge, then rummage through the pantry for some decent junk food. Lucky me, there's a bag of microwave popcorn nestled next to the soy beans. I toss it in the microwave for a few minutes, the buttery smell making my mouth water.

As I head back to my room, I note how eerily quiet the house is. Its always odd being alone in the hose without my mom talking to herself or my dad tinkering away in the garage.

Plopping down in my computer chair, I rip open the bag of popcorn and start up My Candy Love, ready for another typical Friday night in front of the computer.

Slowly, I get into the rhythm of the game, losing myself in the character's stories. My heart always jumps a little when Castiel appears on the screen, looking so infuriatingly difficult, but some how irresistibly alluring.

My next mission is to find musicians for the school's fundraising concert. As per usual, my character runs around the school like a headless chicken when Castiel shows up again. I click 'Next' and I'm presented with another set of impossible multiple choice answers. I frown and bite my lip, frustrated. My mouse overs over the A option when suddenly, I hear on odd crackling sound that seems to be coming from the speakers, like white noise from a TV. I sit up from my slouched position, my eyes darting between the speakers. "What the…?" I wonder out loud. A small glitch appears in the computer screen, right over Castiel's face, distorting it for half a second before returning to normal. Then, it happens again, for longer this time. It looks like a break in the glass, like the screen is trying to tear itself open. Man, I knew this thing was old, but I didn't know it would start malfunctioning after a month. Now I'll have to tell Dad to take it to the shop to see if it can be fixed. Maybe it can't and I can get a new-

"He…o…can…ear…me…" It's a voice. Coming from the speakers.

I scream and jump up from my chair, sending it flying backwards. What. The heck. Was that. I'm frozen in place, heart hammering. My eyes flick over the screen, searching for any sign of another glitch, but its exactly as it was, nothing abnormal about it. _There must have been something in that meatloaf _ I think.

I'm still hesitant as I set my chair upright and inch back toward the computer. That has got to be the weirdest thing thats ever-

"Hello…he…o…" The voice comes crackling through the speakers again. I let out a startled shriek and slap a hand over my mouth. I push myself away from the desk and curl my feet up in the chair. My palms are still sweaty. Slowly, I move my hands away from my face and start babbling away, like I always do when I get nervous.

"W-who are you? What do you want? Is this someone's idea of a joke? Because it's _not_ funny. Look, I don't know if you're, like, part of the FBI or whatever, but I swear I don't have any useful information-" A small patch of the screen starts flickering again, then another, until Castiel's image is no longer static. I could swear he starts to _move_. He uncrosses one arm, then the other and then, oh my god, _he looks right at me._

_Oh God, oh God, oh God, what is happening? why is it happening? I have never been so weirded out in my life. What if I'm clinically insane? How I tell my parents-_

My internal monologue is interrupted by another loud crackle from the speakers that makes me yelp, then the voice comes through again, clearer this time.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Okay, it's one thing when a voice is coming through the speakers. It's another thing when that voice is perfectly in sync with the mouth of a character on the screen. Castiel is now fully facing forward, talking directly to me.

I've got to be dreaming or something. I probably fell asleep and that gross dinner did something weird to my brain. I decide to play along with this meatloaf induced fantasy. I slide out of the chair and step tentatively toward the computer desk.

"Yeah. I can hear you." I say.

"I did it." Castiel says, his eyes alight with amusement. "I can't believe it." He's grinning ear to ear. I've never seen him look like that. It's kind of cute.

"Did what?" I ask.

"I found a glitch in The Wall! I've never been able to do it before!" He's excited, pressing his palms up against the glass.

"Well I," I say, wheeling the chair back to the desk to prop my head on my hands, "have no idea what you're talking about. What exactly do you want?" I ask.

"For starters, I would really love to know your name." He says, smiling at me. I hesitate a moment. I can't believe I'm doing this.

"It's Gemma." I say.

"Gemma." He repeats the word slowly, sounding it out. It's only then that I realize his voice is kind of nice, smooth and deep. It's the kind of soothing voice I'd expect to hear on some late night radio show, lulling me to sleep. I touch a finger to the screen, right where Castiel's hand presses against it, looking over his now animated image.

"So…like, can all the other characters do this, or is it just you?" I wonder.

"Well, so far I'm the only one who can do it. I haven't told any of the others that I found a glitch in the Wall yet. Oh man, Lysander would be all over this!" He says excitedly and another small glitch appears in the screen, distorting his face for a brief second.

"Wait, what's all this about 'the Wall'? what kind of wall?" I ask, confused.

"The Wall," he begins, "is like…a barrier. It keeps everyone inside this weird, transparent case of yours. I've tried speaking out loud to reach the Players on the other side before, but no one's been able to hear me until now."

I curl my legs up in the chair, resting my chin on my knees. "So, are you the only one who can talk?" I ask. If I could speak to any of the other characters, I'd want it to be Violet or Iris. They're my favourite girls.

"Only when I'm not playing the game." He says, his hands still pressed against the screen. "I haven't told anyone at all what I can do."

"Wait, you mean that you and the other characters can talk? And move? When I'm not around? I ask, genuinely curious now.

"Well, when the game is off, we all return to Sweet Amoris. We can do whatever we want until the game demands we be back in our places." He says.

Wow. This reminds me of the time when I was six and I was convinced my stuffed unicorn, Fluffy, would escape out the window to go on adventures at night while I was sleeping. I convinced my dad to put a video camera in my room, facing Fluffy, so I could catch her in the act. If she ever did go on adventures, it never showed up on tape.

"This is honestly the oddest thing I've ever seen." I say, tracing the outline of his face on the screen. Suddenly it glitches again. And again. Then a whole patch of the screen looks as if its tearing open before it flicks back to normal. The speakers start to screech and crackle.

"I…glitch sometimes…can't…orry Gem…" His speech becomes fragmented as the crackling gets louder. The screen goes haywire, Castiel's image flickering in and out of sight.

"Castiel?" I say. "What's happening?" He looks frantic. His mouth opens, but before he can answer, the dreaded blue screen appears in front of me, erasing the image of the game altogether. I feel an odd stab of disappointment as I stare blankly at the error message. What was _that _all about?

I eject the game and press the re-boot button on the side of the computer. Once everything is in working order again, I start the game where I left off, hoping against my better judgement that the same thing will happen again. I keep on playing, but nothing out of the ordinary happens for the rest of the night.

My parents come home around midnight, their voices carrying down the hall to my room. I promised them I wouldn't get to bed too late, so I quit, eject the CD and pop it back in its case. For a moment I hold it in my hands, staring at the illustration of Castiel printed on the cover. Logic tells me the whole incident was a dream, but some part of me wants to believe it wasn't.

"I wish you really _were_ real." I whisper before sliding the case back into its place on my shelf.


	4. Chapter 4

Gemma's POV

My eyes flutter open. I glance lazily at the clock on my bedside table. The neon green numbers glaring in my face read 8:30. Damn early for a Saturday. I sit up in bed and stare at my computer desk, sitting there across the room. Did last night really happen? I still can't believe it. I half expect the computer to flick itself on and start blaring Castiel's voice from the speakers. I stare at the pitch black screen a moment longer. To my disappointment, nothing happens. Suddenly, it all seems too fantastic, too big a secret to keep to myself. With a sigh, I throw the covers off me, get up and dig my backpack out of the closet. I shove my hand in one of the compartments and rummage through it for my cell. When I find it, I flip it open, search the contacts for Scarlett's number and press _call. _The phone rings once. Twice. Three times. I roll my eyes. Scarlett never was a morning person. Finally, she picks up.

"What _is_ it, Gem?" She says on a yawn. We'd done away with formalities years ago.

"Hey, Scarlett. Sorry I woke you so early…" I start.

"You should be," she says, a sarcastic note in her voice, "I was having the coolest dream. What'd you wake me for?" She demands. I lie back down on top of my sheets and place a pillow under my head.

"Have you ever…" I trail off. God, I don't even know where to begin "…seen something…really weird? Like, something you couldn't stop thinking about?" I ask.

"Weirder than a mutated zombie virus that you have to find the cure for, like in the dream you interrupted? No, can't say I have."

I bite my nails as I try to think of a way to explain everything. "No, I mean, have you ever read a really good book, or say…played a great game. And it's almost like it…comes to life?" Even as I say it, I can hear how ridiculous I sound. Of course Scarlett wouldn't understand. No one would. Hell, Im not even sure _I_ do.

"Well, when you read a good book, it's kind of supposed to, you know, come to life or," She pauses for a moment. "Wait, is this about that stupid game you're always playing?" She asks. I knew this was a bad idea.

"Uh…yeah. I mean, something really weird happened. Something that made one of the characters seem sort of _alive_. The speakers started crackling and the screen went all haywire. It was the weirdest thing." I say.

"That just sounds like your computer needs to be traded in for something a little less 90's. I mean, as long as you weren't hearing _voices_, I don't think you'll need to check yourself into an asylum anytime soon."

She doesn't know how wrong she is. I knew she wouldn't get it, so I decide to dismiss the whole situation.

"You're right." I say. "It was probably nothing. You wanna hang out this afternoon?"

She agrees to meet me by the lake. We'll go for a bike ride, get ice-cream. Maybe Ben will join us if his parents aren't busy being the strictest disciplinarians on the planet.

I snap my phone shut and toss it back in my bag, then flop onto my bed. My eyes drift to the computer again and I consider playing MCL (I've abbreviated it in my mind), but, to my surprise, my stomach starts grumbling angrily. I hadn't even realized I was hungry. I change quickly into a pair of denim shorts and my favourite black tank top, throwing my pyjamas into a careless heap on the floor. The heavenly smell of pancakes beckons to me as I make my way down the hall.

When I reach the kitchen, my dad is already sitting at the table, paper in hand, eating pancakes and sipping coffee. He's usually an early riser. Mom, on the other hand, likes her beauty sleep on the weekends.

"Morning" I say.

"Morning, Gem." Dad says without looking up form his paper. He's absorbed in the front page news, glasses perched on the end of his nose as he scanes the paper.

I grab myself a plate from the cupboard, sit down at the table and heap a stack of pancakes onto my plate. I drown them in syrup and chow down. I can eat a surprising amount for someone of my stature. I'm glad my dad is too absorbed in his paper to notice what a pig I'm being.

An unwelcome thought pops into my head suddenly. What would Dad think if hew knew what I saw last night? I glance up at him, sipping his coffee and mumbling something about the stock market. If I told my entire family what happened, he'd be the last person to believe me. He's too practical for that sort of thing. He'd probably call an ambulance and have them ship me off to some sadistic mental hospital all wrapped up in a straight jacket. Okay, maybe I'm being a little on the dramatic side, but I know it wouldn't be pretty. I force the thought out of my head and continue to practically inhale the rest of my pancakes. When I'm finished, I rinse my plate and head to my room without another word.

Castiel's POV

"That was reckless, even for you Castiel. I'd go as far as to say it was plain stupid." Lysander reprimands me. He sits at the edge of his bed, lips pursed, glaring at me.

"I'm telling you, it was the weirdest, most awesome experience of my life. I _spoke_ to her, Lys." I say. I'm sitting in a bean bag chair, piles of Lysander's crumpled poetry at my feet. My pen scratches across the page of a notebook he lent me, capturing the hard, concrete angles of the room he calls home. Everyone makes their own homes in the virtual apartments scattered around Sweet Amoris. I have one of my own because I like my space, but I still spend a ton of time here.

"And I'm telling _you_ that breaking the barrier could be really dangerous. Nobody's managed to do it before. It's totally unpredictable. You could end up shattering our very existence for all we know!" Lysander says, running a hand through his multi-hued hair, exasperated. His brows furrow.

"But we don't know that for sure. It could be a ticket out of this place." I say, sketching in the doorway of his apartment. Lysander glances at me.

"That's exactly why its so dangerous. You could get yourself killed, Cas." He says the last part softly and I can hear the concern in his voice. Lysander and I have been like brothers for as long as I can remember. I wouldn't do anything to hurt him.

"Hey." I say, looking up from my drawing to him. "I never said I wasn't careful. I will always be careful. I'm smart enough to get myself out of trouble, you know that." He sighs deeply, leaning back against the concrete wall, looking warily at me.

"I know," He says. "and I know there's probably not much I can do to stop you. You're one stubborn mule, Castiel." He says, smirking. I chuckle at that. It's true.

We sit quietly for a while, me scribbling up more drawings, Lysander writing lines of poetry before crumpling it and throwing it to the floor, when suddenly he breaks the silence.

"You said you saw her? The one who plays the game?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say. "What about her?"

"You said you talked to her, too. What did she say?" I run through the brief conversation in my head.

"She was frightened at first. I don't blame her for that." I say, remembering the way she'd jumped out of her seat. "I told her about the wall. About the other characters…" I trail off.

"Does she have a name? I'm just curious." He asks.

"She said her name was Gemma." As I say it, I realize that I sort of like her name. It has a ring to it.

I get home several hours later, exhausted. Demon runs up to meet me at the door, pouncing on me and licking my face, excited.

"Hey boy." I say, stroking his fur before he runs back to the corner of the room to chew on a stick from the beach.

My apartment looks much the same as Lysander's, but without scraps of paper littering the floor. Instead, I have some of my better drawings taped to the wall. Drawings of the beach, the school and some fellow characters line the grey of my walls along with some episode illustrations. My favourite is a drawing of me with black hair and a brown coat, a completely different look to my usual black and red ensemble.

I grab my guitar from its place against my wardrobe and sit down on the bed, the springs creaking under my weight. I hunch over the instrument, my fingers pressing against the strings. I pluck out a few random chords, making up a rhythm as I go along. The earlier conversation with Lysander runs through my head. As much as I don't want to admit it, I know he's right. Maybe I was reckless. Maybe I was stupid for trying something so dangerous. Then her face flashes through my mind for a brief second.

_But we don't know that for sure. It could be a ticket out of this place…._

I'm willing to take the risk.


	5. Chapter 5

**~Author's note~** Apologies for the short chapter. The next one will be much longer, promise. :)

**Amber's POV**

Amber twirled a perfect, golden blond curl around her finger as she sat on a blanket in the grass, taking in Castiel's lean, well-defined form. Her eyes followed him as he dashed around the court, ready to steal the ball from one of the other boys. She couldn't tear her eyes from his taut muscles, the way his basketball jersey hung from his broad shoulders or the loose strands of read hair that sweat had stuck to his high cheekbones.

She'd wanted him since the beginning of their existence, though the fact that he hadn't responded to any of her advances infuriated her. She couldn't begin to understand it. Of all the girls, she was undoubtably the most beautiful. Her curvaceous figure and delicate features were unmatched by any of the other ugly waifs in this cursed game. Sometimes, when she was alone, she imagined she was queen and the other girls peasants, ladies in waiting at best. Charlotte, Li and Cappucine had proven themselves fairly useful in that regard.

_I could be a Goddess one day. _Amber thought ruefully. No. She already _was_ a Goddess. But what would she be without an equally beautiful God ruling at her side?

"Amber?" At the sound of her name, Amber snapped back to the present. Cappucine was holding two bottles of neon nail polish out in font of her, one bright pink, the other lime green. They were enough to make her gauge her eyes out.

"Which one of these would look best on me?" She asked._ Neither of those would do anything for you, sweetheart. _Amber thought. In her humble opinion, neon nail polish was hideous and no one should wear it, but she answered anyway.

"The green." Amber said flatly. "It will compliment your skin tone much better than the pink."

Cappucine beamed like the meaning of life had just been revealed to her, round cheeks puffing out beneath her beady green eyes. "Great. Thanks Amber!" She enthused and began slathering the polish on her nails. Amber smirked. She was impressed with her ability to lie so smoothly. It hadn't always come naturally, but it was an art she'd perfected over the years.

She reached into the assorted pile of jars and selected a deep plum colour for her own nails. At least she had some taste. She unscrewed the lid began carefully coating her nails.

"Hmm doesn't Castiel look good in that uniform?"

Amber paused. Her eyes snapped over to Deborah who sat at the other end of the blanket, talking to Charlotte. Charlotte glanced over at the court, gave Castiel a quick once-over and shrugged her delicate shoulders.

"I guess." She said dismissively. "He's never really been my type. Never was a fan of that tomato hair."

'Whatever you say. I still think he's cute!" Deborah said with one of her annoying smiley giggles. It grated on Amber's nerves. Charlotte may not know true beauty when she saw it, but at least she knew to stay away from what didn't belong to her. Deborah, on the other hand, was a nightmare. She seemed to think that dating Castiel within the story line gave her some kind of entitlement to him. It was pathetic the way she leered at him like he _belonged_ to her. If Deborah thought Castiel was hers, she was sorely mistaken. When Amber wanted something, nothing got in her way. She always made sure of it.


End file.
